Tag Archive

– Today we have a “Gringo’s eye view” up front and personal: a boots on the ground walk through not one but two dirty, filthy, amazingly chaotic, Latin government immigration offices: one in a huge city of 2 million plus people and one in a very small town of about 10,000 population.

Note: There are huge differences (you’ll see).

You’ll see just how average Latin people manage to maneuver their way through the amazingly inefficient and mind-numbing maze of a bureaucracy without the aid of lawyers or outside support. That’s why even simple procedures can take days and repeated return trips.

You’ll see how it seems an almost impossible task for even a Spanish speaking native to get anything accomplished yet they somehow eventually slog on through and get it done. Why? Simply because 95% of Latins have much, much, much more time than money.

As for me, every time I see a long stagnant line outside of a government building it makes me think of that room full of monkeys on typewriters, who- given an infinite amount of time- can eventually type out the bible.

– More new evidence the Panama commercial real estate bubble is imploding

-Yes, there are large, overripe residential and commercial real estate bubbles throughout Latin America. Even if that wasn’t so, there are so many mindless government bureaucratic hurdles that it’s just not wise to attempt to build any commercial construction project from scratch- not in any large Latin city. However, many of those same hurdles somehow do not exist in when attempting such projects in smaller towns and just outside the big cites (go figure). In short, buy what you like when the bubble pops, but for now, RENT!

-According to experts, 15-20% of Latins have 24/7 internet in the home. Did you know that more than 95% of those connected use the net exclusively for social media and moronic entertainment purposes? Yes, it’s a sad state of affairs, but are percentages any different foe users in the states?

-Getting permanent residency in a Latin country is highly recommended, in fact essential. Just a year or so ago the process used to be fairly easy and straightforward- but Latin manana time slow. However, US agencies are now actively throwing up their own mindless barriers for gringos trying to obtain the necessary documents to begin that process. Why? Uncle Sam doesn’t want his sheep to leave the barn.